Setting up first tank... Any advice?

[gajeep94yj]

So my boy wanted nemo.....

Complete newbie here and I am setting up my first salt water tank... Ever. So far We have a 35 gallon tank, that I have drilled it for a bean animal overflow, built a 20ish gal over flow, built a sump, built a stand, plumbed it all up, and just leak/flow tested it out. This is going to be a fish tank to begin with. Coral after I figure out better lighting.

So now that the easy part is done I need some help with the hard part. Because at this point I am lost....

I am about to drain the fresh water out and set it up on the carpet.

My thoughts was that I was just going to buy salt water from the local fish store and start cycling it before I put sand and rock in it.

But is there anything else I should do first? Everything was used tanks, so clean it first?

After that is there anything special about the sand?

I have a ~7gal refuge in the sump. Suggestions on what to put in there?

Seth

 

[jc_k]

In my opinion you should put the liverock and sand in. As for cleaning it, it's always good to rinse the tank out.
You don't have to use sand, but I think it looks nicer.
As for the refugium, put some sand in it with a little pices if liverock and some macro algae later on.

If you plan on cleaning things, just remember DONT USE SOAP.

Well, welcome to this very addicting and expensive hobby



Jacob

 

[lsu_fishfan]

I would add the live rock and sand in to help cycle the tank. In the refuge you could add a couple pieces of live rock and later some algae. For cleaning, I would recommend filling the tank with water and a gallon or so of distilled white vinegar.

 

[picoreefguy]

welcome. like JC_k said put in sand and rock first. dont just use any sand or rock though there are several safe sands to use but you cant just go to lowes and use play sand (made that mistake a decade ago) same goes for rocks they need to be either natural base or live rock or specially made concrete and crushed coral rocks that are ph neutral. aragnite based sand is your best bet cause its fairly cheap and its pretty. a word of advise though, put the sand in a bucket and shove a hose to the bottom and run water through all of the sand to rinse the dust out. you will have to do this several times to get it clean. the first 3-5 times it will look like milk. you dont have to get it perfectly clear but make it clean enough that you can see the sand through 5-6 inches of water. that will help clear the tank much faster than if you didnt rinse it. were talking hours vs days or even a week. and if you dont rinse it, any time a fish digs in the sand after it has settled your tank will be cloudy again. also use lots of seachems matrix biomedia. its wonderfull stuff. if you have any other questions feel free to ask.

 

[northgahillbilly]

It was good meeting you last week Seth, looking forward to seeing the progress, youve been BUSY! Others have covered most of what I would have thought to bring up. Take it slow and I'm sure your son will love yalls new tank. When you get ready for a few coral let me know and Ill get a few to you.

Greg

 

[oldedb]

Seth - welcome to the hobby. My kid wanted a nemo fish too.... A year later and many, many $ we (really I) now have a 170G total system. My friends and neighbors think I am crazy but I love the hobby. Good luck!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[lsu_fishfan]

oldedb;982437 wrote: My friends and neighbors think I am crazy but I love the

Lol

 

[jrhunter0000]

Put live rock in and sand let it cycle take your time patience is my advice

 

[gajeep94yj]

OK so steps are:
Get sand and rock
Wash sand
Add vinegar to existing fresh water, and clean tank
Place rocks
Fill with sand
Add salt water
Cycle tank

So my questions are:
-where do you get the sand? Amazon or better to buy from local store
-anyone wanna sell some live rock?
-for the water, buy from local store or do some of you guys with the rodi kits sell it cheaper than the stores?

 

[gajeep94yj]

Oh yea, two more questions?

For a 35 gallon tank that is 36" wide and 12" deep, how many pounds of sand?

About how much rock will you think I need?

 

[marquiseo]

The best advice I wish someone had given me when I first started was "plan and research everything". If I had done that when I started, I would have saved a lot of money and headaches. Constantly upgrading equipment can be costly. Just save your money and buy the best based on performance and reviews. Also, in relation, becareful of reviews by "fanboys", people who will defend a products from a company even if it is defective. You will be able to pick them out.

 

[gajeep94yj]

That's what I am doing here! Research

 

[marquiseo]

GaJeep94YJ;982486 wrote: That's what I am doing here! Research

Lol, true. You will see what I mean later.

 

[gajeep94yj]

I understand what you are saying. I have two mottos.

Anything worth doing is worth overdoing.

Buy once, cry once

 

[marquiseo]

GaJeep94YJ;982476 wrote: Oh yea, two more questions?

For a 35 gallon tank that is 36" wide and 12" deep, how many pounds of sand?

About how much rock will you think I need?

A nice little read for you on sandbed: http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/318105-things-to-consider-when-deciding-on-the-sandbed/?p=4149034">http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/318105-things-to-consider-when-deciding-on-the-sandbed/?p=4149034</a>
A 20lbs should give you shallowbed and about 40-50lbs should give you a deepbed.

[B]Liverock[/B]: Depends on if you want to go minimalistic with dry rock or not. Here is an example of minimalistic:
[IMG]http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5107/5869329175_0cdba86e44.jpg alt="" />

If not, roughly 40lbs should be good start for you.
Buy DRY rock or get it from a trusted hobbyist with no pests. Also, some dry rock is lightweight and come in large pieces so you may need to scale back or you will have lots of rock and no where to put it.

 

[gajeep94yj]

Thanks for the link. After reading that it seems like a shadow bed around 1" would be best.

 

[stacy22]

Establish a proper QT regimen for all</em> your livestock and stick to it.

 

[gajeep94yj]

How is this for sand?
CaribSea Arag-Alive 20-Pound Special Grade Reef Sand, Fiji Pink

 

[marquiseo]

GaJeep94YJ;982513 wrote: How is this for sand?
CaribSea Arag-Alive 20-Pound Special Grade Reef Sand, Fiji Pink https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00025YVGC/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_onFbub1N4HC6K">https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00025YVGC/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_onFbub1N4HC6K</a>[/QUOTE]

It's great sand but you need to determine your sand based on your amount of flow you will have in your tank. Fine sand tends to blow around easily with mp10. I have a rw-4 with the aragonite non-live sand which is large enough to not be blown around easily.

[IMG]http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0002APMBA/ref=mp_s_a_1_8?qid=1409676872&sr=8-8&pi=AC_SX110_SY165_QL70">CaribSea Dry Aragonite Super Reef Sand 40 lb:Amazon:Pet Supplies@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/71Fr6pU-TvL.@@AMEPARAM@@71Fr6pU-TvL</a>

 

[gajeep94yj]

I have a jaebo dc1200 but will be running it on the lowest setting. Which based on head pressure would be around 450 gph.

Based on that should I go with more course sand? If so what do you suggest. Only going with a 1" sand bed based on the above link.